The Time and Space Job
by A Lyrical Dreamer
Summary: Chapter 14- The School Job Part 2: The team learns about their mark. Part 3 in the Time, Twists and Turns Series. A series of stories as season 4/5 progresses Expect crossovers, cons, grifts and just about everything else you can think of. R&R please.
1. What They Do Part 1

**So, I'm back! This is going to be lots of stories together as the series progress, starting with the Boiler Room Job.**

**Title of this fic taken from songs by the Cinematic Orchestra and The Accidental (different songs, same title) which I am planning on integrating later on in the story**

**Please let me know what you think and let me know if you have any requests and if anyone wants to join in the in the creation of this story, let me know, I might be open to it. =)**

Grifter

Nate cleared his throat and put his hand on Sophie's leg, urging her to stop "What she's trying to say," he cut in. "Is that it's not your fault."

"No but it is," the client began. "Most special needs schools are private and charge huge tuition's. Our school runs on grants and donations. We started the investment fund as a way to get out of the red. Bake sales just aren't cutting it these days. Without any money, our doors will close in three months. And those kids are gonna have nowhere to go."

"We won't let that happen," Nate assured the woman, just as Abby walked into the bar, grinning as she texted on her phone and, with Eliot-like spatial awareness, avoided every person and obstacle in her path, despite the fact that she did not look up from the device.  
Sophie excused herself from the table and walked over to the teenager.

"Who's the boy?" the grifter enquired.

"What boy? There's no boy?" Abby replied in a manner which would have convinced anyone other than a seasoned grifter.

A seasoned grifter would have also been able to get out the name of said boy in a matter of seconds, but, realising that Abby was growing to be more like family and not a mark, she did not press; if Abby wanted to tell her she would tell her.

"No matter," Sophie dismissed. "Some people just don't understand the elegance of a con. How much work and satisfying a proper grift can be. Likening us to common criminals, honestly," she huffed. "I'll show her."

"What?" Abby said, genuinely confused.

"Nothing darling," she replied off-handedly and the two began their walk up to the apartment.

"Hey Soph?" Abby asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah."

"I get what you do," she began as the pair of them walked up the hallway and paused in front of Nate's apartment as Sophie rambled in her purse for the key. "But I don't get how you do it."

"Well," the grifter began, placing the key into the lock. "People, every person, has a desire, has a want; everyone has something you can exploit. You use that exploit to get what you need."

The pair of them pushed the door open, both dumping their bags on the kitchen bench.

"But how does it all come together?"

"That, well, that is Nate's department," Sophie replied. "Goodness knows what goes on in his head to make it all work."

Hitter

"Uh oh," Hardison declared sitting at the bench in Nate's apartment.

"What?" Eliot growled.

"What?" Sophie exclaimed simultaneously, more panic in her voice than Eliot's.

"Nate's comm went off-line," the hacker replied, worry in his voice. Abby looked up from her homework as Eliot straightened up and tensed slightly, then jumped into action.

"Check the camera's at his last known location and then track it," Eliot instructed. "Abby take your comms out."

"What?" she asked.

"Don't argue Abby," the hitter replied and the teenager did as she was told.

"Okay, okay," Hardison stammered then let out a breath. "Camera's show he was nabbed by Sherman and his driver. Location's on your phone."

"Make sure she's stays offline," the hitter said to Sophie as he left, shutting the door behind him.

"Got it man," Hardison replied for the grifter as Eliot shut the front door behind him.

"Nate's going to be fine yeah?" the teenager asked after several minutes had past and, though unbeknownst to her, as Eliot arrived at Nate's location.

"Of course he will," Sophie said.

"What? Yeah," Hardison replied simultaneously. "This guy is hardly dangerous and Eliot has never let anything happen to any of us."

"What do you know about dangerous guys Hardison?" the hitter asked as he walked into the building.

"The guy is named after a fish," Parker pointed out.

Hardison ignored both of the comments. "Don't worry," he reassured. "Nate is fine," he said convincingly as he heard the masterminds' groaning on the other end. "See what'd I tell you!"

The teenager gave him a questioning look.

"Nate just woke up," Sophie explained realising Hardison hadn't remembered the girl wasn't wearing an earbud. "Nate, Eliot's in position," she said to the mastermind.

"Then why did Eliot make me take my comm out?"

Sophie paused for a moment, making sure everything on the other end of the comms was alright, then redirected her attention to the teenager.

"He's just," she began then paused. "He knows that this job is harsh sweetie. He's trying to protect you from the things that we, that he, was exposed to. He's just trying to keep you from getting hurt," she finished.

"Because it's his job to protect us," Parker added innocently. "And because you're super special to him, he wants to protect your head as well as from getting physically hurt."

Sophie was about to query Parker's insight when she was distracted by a statement made by Sherman on the other side of the comms.

"That's funny, 'cause you're sleeping with her. I see it," the mark declared.

Parker and Hardison's eyes widened out of surprise as they gave Sophie an astonished look.

"What happened?" Abby enquired. "Can I have my comm back."

"Hell no!" Eliot stated firmly.

"It's in your body language when you're together," the Mako continued. "It's in your eyes when you look at her. You two have a carnal relationship."

"See, he's just trying to rattle Nate," Sophie stammered in an attempt to defend herself.

"You did say he reads people better than anyone you know," Parker pointed out; Sophie looked sheepish.

"Y'all nasty," Hardison declared.

"I'm so confused!" the teenager exclaimed.

"Oh, Nate and Sophie are having sex," Parker stated blatantly.

"Really Parker?" Eliot complained.

"A little finesse would be nice," Sophie stated under her breath.

* * *

**TBC**


	2. What They Do Part 2

Thief

"Abby!" Parker yelled from across the room, tossing the teenager her jacket.

"Yeah?" Abby said, snatching the jacket from thin air.

"Come help me," the thief pressed, waving Abby out the door.

"Are we gonna go steal something? Because Eliot might kill you."

"What, no. We're buying monitors with a credit card," Parker replied, pulling the plastic card out of her pocket and flourishing about.

"Is it your credit card?"

"Is now!" the thief grinned. "And besides, Eliot's in Ecuador." Abby paused for a few moments, considering her options and then pulled on her jacket.

"Let's go."

* * *

"So you're the thief," Abby confirmed as they entered the warehouse of a local computer sales company.

"Yes."

"And you steal whatever the team needs; do break in for jobs and whatever?"

"Pretty much," Parker replied as the pair turned a corner to face a tall, large man in a high-visibility vest and hard hat.

"You're not meant to be here," he began. "You need to leave."

"We want to buy computers," Parker said.

"Then go to one of our conveniently placed stores," the man replied as he began to lead them out.

"But I want to buy 150 of them," Parker stated and the man paused.

"150?" he asked, confused.

"Yup!" Parker replied.

"Right this way," he said as he led them in another direction.

"Please don't tell Eliot I did this; he will ground me for a year," Abby said quietly to Parker.

"Tell Eliot what?" the thief grinned.

* * *

Ten minutes later several workers were loading the last monitors into Lucille, overseen by Abby while Parker stood face to face with the manager.

"How would you like to pay for that miss?" he enquired.

Parker grinned and pulled out the card which she had stolen from Sherman's driver. "Credit Card please," she smiled as she handed the man the plastic while the workers shut up the van.

"I'm going to make an assumption," Abby began, jumping down from the passenger seat in the van. "That you normally don't pay for these things?"

"Well, I don't steal them. Because that would mean taking money out of somebody's pocket and stopping hard earning people from making a living," the thief began, almost certainly quoting Sophie or Eliot. "Usually I pay out of the Leverage work fund. But if I can make the bad guys pay, well, that's even better."

* * *

Hacker

"Did you know that, from the outside, your job is really boring?" Abby declared as she spun herself around on a computer chair, waiting for Hardison to finish his cyber heist.

"But from the inside, it's awesome is what it is!" he defended stylishly.

"Can you teach me?"

"How to hack? You must be outta your damn mind; your uncle would fillet me like sad, sad fish."

"About computers," Abby suggested alternatively. The hacker paused and thought for a moment.

"That I could do," he grinned and began to walk the teenager through the basics of what he was doing as he finished up transferring the last of the Mako's money. "That's what I'm talking about."

"That's aces," Abby praised, genuinely impressed.

"Man, that ain't aces," Hardison began, leaning back on his chair. "Aces is like, hacking into the CIA and stealing their money, not that I've ever done that, or hacking into the TAA and changing a plane's flight path. There is a whole world of aces which you are yet to experience," he finished proudly.

"Sounds… ace," Abby concluded.

"Damn straight," the hacker replied.

"So hacking into a school network, for example, and moving classes around,"

"Hypothetically," he interrupted.

"Of course," Abby agreed. "That would be easy, no?"

"Like taking candy from a hypothetical baby," Hardison said as he smiled. "Hypothetically, what would I be changing?"

"Hypothetically, could you change my classes around so that I get most of the afternoon off?"

Hardison held up his index finger and turned to his computer and, after a few minutes of typing, lent back on his chair, his hands folded behind his head.

"It's done Ace."

"Hypothetically of course?"

"Of course," Hardison replied, playing along. "Now you should go wait in Lucille before feds get here because I do not want to suffer the wrath of Senor Spencer."

* * *

Mastermind

Through the monitors in the van Abby watched intently, wondering how exactly Nate's plan in the boiler room was going to unfold. Finally, when the FBI did burst into the room, it made perfect sense as she could finally see how all of the pieces fit together.

And, at that point she was thoroughly impressed with the extent of Nate's abilities; with the extent of the team's abilities and what they did.

"Awesome," she declared softly in awe as the Mako's driver made a break for the door, only to be stopped dead in his tracks by Eliot. Bad idea, Abby thought to herself. Then the man tried to hit Eliot. Okay, that was a really bad idea.

_ "Thanks man,"_ Eliot said sarcastically. _"That's awesome; I hadn't hit anybody in over two weeks."_

Then the man stupidly threw another punch, which Eliot blocked effortlessly and, with no trouble at all, knocked the man down for the FBI to take away.

"These guys don't learn do they?" Abby stated softly as her uncle grinned at a young woman in the boiler room. Eww, eww, eww, Abby thought to herself. Eww.

* * *

"To the Big Store," Sophie cheered as the team chinked their glasses together. "So how was Ecuador?"

"Better than the last time I was there," Eliot replied as he took a long sip of his beer.

"Not even going to ask," Hardison stated. "Where's Ace?"

"Ace?" the hitter enquired.

"It fits," Hardison replied.

"Out at the movies with some friends," Eliot said, then looked at his watch. "Should be back…" he was interrupted by Abby walking through the door with a familiar, to Eliot at least, looking teenage boy.

"Who's the boy?" Parker asked as Eliot growled, not so quietly, then stood up to 'greet' the boy.

"Nuh uh," Sophie said, trying to stop the man from starting a potentially disastrous argument.

"Sophie, she's my responsibility," he said before she could protest and then walked up to the pair of teenagers. "Who's this?"

Eliot was greeted with a hug from his niece as she introduced her friend. "Eliot this is Kyle Bonnano."

The clearly intimidated teenager held his hand out which Eliot shook, harshly.

"Nice to meet you," Kyle said, obviously trying to stop his voice from breaking.

"Same to you," Eliot greeted in return, without breaking eye contact, or releasing his hand.

"Umm Eliot," Abby said softly as she nervously rubbed her face.

"Yeah," her uncle said as he released the boy's hand, which he rubbed and flexed uncomfortably. "Patrick's son?"

"Yeah," he replied. "He seems to like you."

Eliot nodded.

"Well it's getting late," the hitter declared. "Shouldn't you be getting home?"

The teenager looked at his watch. "Uh, probably," he agreed then began to back away. "I'll see you at school AJ?"

"Yeah," the girl smiled.

"And it was nice to meet you Mr Spencer," he said, already mostly out the door.

As soon as the door had shut behind him, Abby walked behind the bar and poured herself a glass of cola.

"Did you have to?" she asked as she walked, huffing, to the table where the others were sitting.

"Abby you told me you were going to the movies with some friends. As in plural," Eliot replied as he followed her around the bar.

"I did; Kyle is one of them."

"You're not allowed to date," Eliot said, crossing his arms.

"First of all, Kyle isn't my boyfriend and we're not dating; we're just friends. Secondly, I think I'm old enough to date."

"But you like him?"

"Eliot!" Sophie scalded. "You do not ask your teenager whether they like a guy."

"I got it Sophie," Abby stated. "Eliot, you have to trust me. Kyle and I are just friends. If I want to date him or anyone else. I will talk to you about it. Deal?"

Eliot rubbed his temple.

"You're not allowed to date…"

"Deal?"

"Deal," he reluctantly agreed

* * *

"So, basically, this guy had stock in all those companies, and we cost him a lot of money. He wants revenge. Uh, how much did he lose?" Nate said to Hardison in his apartment that evening.

"Who said he lost money?" the hacker asked in response.

"He's making money off us?" Nate confirmed and Hardison nodded.

"You have to tell the others."

"When the time is right…"

"No, Nate. It's not just us anymore," he pleaded. "Eliot deserves to know; he deserves to be able to protect her."

"I'll tell them when the time is right," Nate insisted.

"At least go and figure out what this guy's up to," Hardison stated.

"That was the plan."

* * *

**Hope you guys are enjoying, next chapter up by next week. =)**

**Please review, if you feel so inclined.**


	3. The Flu

Eliot walked into Abby's room, tapping on the door.

"Abby it's quarter to; you gotta be at school in half an hour."

There was a quiet moan in response.

"Get up, I ain't tellin' you again."

She was silent so, slightly frustrated, Eliot walked further into her room and pulled the covers off; she was curled up in a ball, shivering and clearly ill.

"You okay darlin?" he asked, pulling the blankets back over her.

"I feel sick," she mumbled and rolled over to face him. He laid the back of his hand on her forehead; it was burning up.

"How are you sick darlin'?"

"My muscles hurt, my throat hurts, my chest hurts, I have stomach cramps."

"Yeah, you got the flu," he stated. "And stomach cramps as in.." he asked awkwardly.

"I don't wanna have the flu and yes, stomach cramps as in womanly stomach cramps."

"Look on the bright side, you don't have to go to school," he suggested.

"Woop de doo," she moaned sarcastically and pulled the covers back over her face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

An hour later they entered Nate's apartment. Eliot walked into the kitchen, carrying a bag of groceries and Abby still dressed in her PJ's and carrying a back pack, headed straight for the couch and curled up in a ball. Parker, slightly confused, stared intently at the girl, walked up to her and poked her repeatedly on the shoulder.

"Eliot!" Abby yelled out.

"Parker!" the hitter yelled back. "She's sick, leave her alone."

"But..." Parker began to complain as she stood up.

"No buts Parker; leave her alone."

"She should be at home in bed," Sophie said, walking down from the loft.

"Her temperature was 102. I didn't want to leave her in case it got worse," he said unpacking the bags; homemade chicken soup, crackers, juice and other sick people food.

"So you brought her here to infect us all?" Hardison complained sitting at the dining room table on his computer. "No offence Abby," he added as an afterthought.

"Thanks Alec," she replied, somewhat sarcastically; Eliot ignored the comment.

"How are you feeling angel?" Sophie asked as she sat down next to Abby, stroking her hair.

"Horrible," she said before she began a coughing fit.

"Would you like a blanket?" She asked when the girl had finally finished coughing.

"Yes please," Abby replied and the grifter nodded at Parker to go fetch one.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

She woke up several hours later, dazed and feeling just as ill as before. She painfully sat up and looked about the room.  
"Where is everyone?" she asked Parker, sitting at the bench behind her, going over what appeared to be plans for some sort of safe.

"Out on the job. They left me in charge," the thief said, matter-of-factly and somewhat proudly.

"Cool," Abby replied somewhat unenthusiastically.

_ "Parker ask her if she needs anything,"_ Sophie hinted, not so subtly through the comms.

"Oh, yeah," the thief responded. "Do you want anything?" she asked, quite robotically.

"Soup?"

"Cool. Eliot left some in the fridge," she replied, then continued to study the blueprints in front of her.

_ "Go make it for her Parker,"_ Eliot said frustratedly.

"I was going to do that," she replied. "Totally."

_ "Get Abby to put her comms in as well."_

"Eliot wants you on comms," the thief yelled out as she walked into the kitchen. The teenager did as she was told and grabbed her comm from the coffee table.

"Hey," she mumbled.

_ "How you feeling?"_ her uncle asked.

"Still the same," she replied. "How's work?"

_ "Good. Sorry I couldn't be there though darlin'"_

"'T's not your fault. Not much you can do anyway. You're probably being a lot more productive out there."

_ "Suppose,"_ he replied.

"I got Parker anyway,"

_ "Parker doesn't know what she's doing."_

"But she tries," she said as she picked up the remote, attempting to turn the TV on. "Alec, how do you work this stupid thing?"

_ "It ain't that complicated,"_ the hacker replied exasperated, from his van.

"You keep..."

_ "Yeah, you keep changing it,"_ Sophie chimed in; Hardison sighed then walked her through the new programming for the remote.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What's this?" Parker asked, delivering Abby's soup and toast on a tray; Abby gave her a questioning look.

"This is Friends," she said, utterly bewildered that the thief didn't know what it was. Parker still looked confused. "It's a TV show."

"What's it about?"

"Friends. In New York. It's a sitcom."

"A what con?"

"A comedy," she said, then began another coughing fit.

"Don't die there kiddo," Parker said, slapping Abby hard on the back, trying to be helpful.

"I'll try," she said, shuffling up along the couch just far enough so Parker couldn't slap her on the back again.

"Your phone kept buzzing while you were asleep by the way," Parker added, staring intently at the television, while she passed the device to Abby.

Abby looked at it and smiled before texting her friend back.

"Is that your boyfriend?"

"Kyle's not my boyfriend," Abby replied as she began another coughing fit.

"Yeah he is," she insisted.

"Why?"

"Because you like him, he likes you and you do things together."

"Parker we don't do _things _together," Abby said quickly as she coughed. "And we don't like each other."

"Sophie said you did," she replied. "And if of course you do things; you went to the movies and lunch and stuff."

"Well by that definition, you and Alec should be a couple," Abby retorted; Parker was quiet on the subject after that and continued watching the show as Abby laid on the couch, drifting in and out of sleep, awoken only by her sporadic coughing fits, the occasional message from Kyle. and Parker's enthusiastic laughs at all of the wrong cues.

"When's Eliot getting back?" she asked as she coughed.

_ "'round an hour darlin'"_ he replied._ "We're just about to wrap things up. Everything okay?"_

"Mhmm," she muttered, coughing again. Then, before she even realised it, she was running towards the bathroom, the excessive coughing combined with the agonising stomach cramps causing her to throw up into the toilet bowl.

Parker ran in after her.

"She's throwing up. What do I do?" she asked.

_ "Hold her hair back,"_ Sophie replied. _"And then get her a face washer and a towel for her to clean up with."_

_ "I'm coming back,"_ Eliot stated.

"No," Abby replied before she threw up again.

_ "What?"_ he asked confused.

"You have to finish helping those people."

On the other side of the comms Eliot paused. _"You're sure?"_

"Mhmm," she said, sitting down on the bathroom floor, exhausted.

_ "Okay well, I'll be home in an hour,"_ he replied. _"Parker make sure she has some gatorade or something with electrolytes and keep an eye on her."_

"Roger that Sparky," Parker replied, saluting her hand to no one.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"You know she's sixteen right?" Hardison said to the hitter.

"And?"

"She's sixteen; you don't have to be there for her every second while she's sick."

"You're kidding me right?" Eliot stated.

"Kidding?"

"Last time you were sick you stayed in bed for like three days!"

"Your point being?"

"You weren't sick!" the hitter yelled frustratedly. " You had allergies!"

"Yeah, well, uh," the hacker blabbered. "Dammit Eliot!"

XXXXXXXXXXX

The team piled into Nate's apartment just as Abby was pressing play on a movie; her face looked drained, pale and exhausted.

"How you doing sweetie?" Sophie asked with a concerned look on her face.

"She stopped throwing up!" Parker stated as she stood up from the couch and went to fetch a drink from the fridge.

"Ain't nothing to throw up," Abby said.

"How's your temperature?" Eliot asked, sitting down on the other end of the couch beside Abby.

"100 last time I checked. Still coughing a lot and feel like sh... and feel horrible though," the teenager stated as she readjusted her position on the couch, allowing for more room.

"What are we watching?" Hardison asked as he placed a bag of popcorn into the microwave.

"The Court Jester," she stated.

"Ah, Danny Kaye, Angela Lansbury; good flick," Nate commented.

"I thought so."

* * *

**Thanks for reading guys and don't forget to drop a review... you know you want to =P**

**Side note, the court jester is one of my favourite movies ever.**


	4. The Time Abby and Hardison Went to Lunch

"I'm so bored!" Abby complained as she flopped down on the couch in Nate's apartment.

"Whacha mean bored?" the hacker asked "Don't you have homework or something?"

"It's the weekend," she stated in response.

"Well don't you, I dunno, have any friends you can hang out with?"

"They're all hung over from this party last night."

"All of them? You're sixteen. I ain't never got hungover when I was sixteen."

"Not all of them," she said. "But the ones that didn't are too busy this weekend anyway."

"And you didn't go to the party?" Hardison asked; he was already starting to get that protective big brother instinct.

"Nah. Call me old fashioned, but the idea of people getting smashed just doesn't appeal to me," she replied sarcastically.

"Good," he replied as he continued to type on his computer.

"I'm still bored Alec," she complained again and he set down his keyboard.

"You know there is this one thing I've been meaning to do for ages but I ain't never got round to it. You interested?"

"Depends?" she asked cautiously.

"Nothing illegal, just some good natured fun," he replied picking up his car keys. Abby smiled.

* * *

She wasn't sure where they were driving to but she wasn't concerned; at least, not too concerned. Finally, ten minutes into their trip he pulled over in a strip of shops. He gestured Abby out of the car and then walked over to an ATM where he withdrew three thousand dollars' worth of cash.

"Alec, I'm just gonna remind you that you said this wasn't going to be illegal."

"It's not, just trust me," he replied.

"Famous last words," she muttered under her breath as she followed the hacker into a run down, empty diner. They sat down and were immediately attended to by a young woman who Abby would describe as a punk-rocker crossed with a hippy; her hair was dreadlocked and brown in colour, except for a few select locks which had been died bright pink. She had a nose ring, eyebrow ring and various henna inspired tattoos covering her shoulders.

"Hi, can I get you your usual?" she asked Alec.

"Yup," he replied. "Burger, fries and orange soda!"

"And for you miss?" she asked turning to Abby.

"Umm, I'll have the same except change the soda to an apple juice."

"Coming right up!" she said as she bounced away.

"Alec I'm confused."

"I said fun didn't I. You gonna tell me, the man who is treating you to lunch and changed your timetable around that you aren't enjoying my company?" he asked somewhat sarcastically.

"No, just the way you said 'good natured fun' made it sound mischievous. This isn't mischievous."

"Ha ha," he said. "Not yet it ain't."

"Please tell me we ain't gonna dine and ditch?"

"Nah girl," he replied. "We gonna do the opposite."

* * *

Their meals arrived a few minutes later and they ate them as they talked and laughed; although the lunch so far wasn't turning out to be as mischievous as she originally thought, it certainly was entertaining.

"So come on Alec, why are we really here?" she asked as she finished the last of her fries.

"That waitress, her name's Becky."

"I thought you had a thing for Parker?" She asked, still slightly confused.

"What, how, uh," he stammered. "Anyway, Becky, who I _don't_ like. She just lost her apartment, it got sold to a developer. Her dog just died and her mother just got diagnosed with breast cancer. They, thankfully, have insurance but she still has to work here full time to be able to keep up with the bills for her and her mother."

Abby smiled as she realised where the situation was headed. The hacker pulled out his wallet followed by the wad of cash which sat in there. Then, smiling, he placed it on the table alongside a note:

_ I know you've been going through a hard time,_

_ I hope this helps,_

_ You deserve this (after all, you service was excellent)_

_ -Anonymous._

He did one last check of the table then the pair stood up and walked nonchalantly out of the door. A few minutes later Becky and begun to clear the table and found the 3000 dollar tip. She ran out of the cafe, tears of joy falling from her eyes in an attempt to thank her tippers but, of course, Hardison and Abby were long gone.

* * *

"That was fun," she stated, her heart still pounding slightly as they drove back to Nate's. "You do that often?"

"Yeah, kinda," he replied.

"What's the deal?"

"Sometimes," the hacker began. "Sometimes people don't need thieves or con artists. Sometimes they haven't been wronged and they've just had a crappy run in life. Sometimes they don't need leverage; sometimes they just need a little help."

"You're a good guy Alec," she stated.

"Thanks kid," he replied. "Just don't tell your uncle. 'Cause it may not have been illegal but I did just run a red light."

* * *

**Just a little bit of fun for you, I'm slowly working on a con and longer story, just FYI**

**If any one has any requests I am more than happy to take them- Please give me requests!**

**Hope you all have a great day =)**

**Also, **


	5. Mastermind

"What are you doing?" Abby asked, staring intently over Nate's shoulder as he poured through client files.

"I am researching a client. Getting background information, them, the guy we're taking down," he replied, not looking up from the paper.

"So the usual?"

"Pretty much."

"Can I help?" she enquired and Nate hesitated.

"I don't know if Eliot would.."

"Eliot said nothing illegal," she interrupted. "This isn't technically illegal."

"Well, the information in here was acquired by questionable means but I suppose the act isn't _technically_ illegal," he concluded.

"Is that a yes?"

"I suppose," he said and she eagerly sat down next to him. He handed her a file. "Read through that and tell me what you think."

"What I think about what?"

"Just read it. You'll see what I mean," he reiterated and Abby opened up the file and began intently reading through the document.

"Done," she said around ten minutes later.

"Uh uh," Nate muttered. "I said read, not skim."

"I did read it. Go on, ask me something. Anything."

"Tell me about the company," the mastermind asked.

"That's broad but okay," she replied and then took a deep breath. "Hanlon Enterprises. Founded in eighty-six by Martin and Braiden Hanlon. It didn't say in there, but I'm gonna assume brothers. It's an acquisitions company; so they buy companies, pretty them up and then sell them to other, larger companies for a profit. Their largest sale was in oh-six when they sold a family owned business to the computer company Hardwire Industries for 20 million dollars."

"That's pretty good," Nate said, genuinely impressed by the amount of information she had retained. "But.."

"I'm not finished," she said proudly. "They're not real."

"How do you figure that?" Nate asked, knowing full well however that she was right.

"Their finances; too clean, too exact. They haven't changed business addresses since the eighties despite the fact that their finances say their business has expanded ten-fold. Now that's fishy."

"So if they're not a real company then what are they?" Nate tested.

"Money laundering?" she guessed.

"Ten points for Abigail!" he praised, still impressed. "How did you..."

"I have really, really good memory but I don't like to show it off too much," she stated. Abby had what was bordering on an eidetic memory and was smarter than most kids her age; something which she didn't like to display except, of course, in front of her 'family' who all had skills so bizarre that she almost felt as though she needed a special skill to fit in.

"And I get bored at school during class," she continued. "So I read the New York Times and economic stuff on my phone while the teacher's talking."

"You're smart kid but don't go flaking out on school," he said as Eliot walked through the door.

"Yes Uncle Nate," she said sarcastically then stood still for a moment, fiddling with her fingers.

"What's up?" the mastermind asked.

"Do you miss your son?" she enquired timidly.

"Every day," he replied, staring down at the paper in front of him.

"What was he like?"

"He was wonderful," Nate began as he smiled a bitter-sweet smile. "He loved baseball, he hated apples and had a crush on a girl called Lucy. What was your mother like?" he asked, tactfully changing the subject.

"She was the best mother any one could have asked for," she replied as they both turned their heads back to their work, a silent decision having been made that enough had been said.

* * *

**So your requests have been noted and are being written; thank you for those.**

**Would anyone be keen on collaborating with me; mostly for one of the cons I have planned but have hit an impenetrable writers' block?**

**Thanks again**

**A Lyrical Dreamer**


	6. Mastermind Cont

**Written especially for jinxcat21 who (probably justifiably) felt as though the Abby and Nate emotional bonding wasn't as deep or long as it could have been; so this is in lieu of that. Enjoy.**

* * *

The day after Nate's investigation into the extent of Abby's talents, he walked up to her as she sat at the kitchen bench, surfing the net and listening to music with headphones in her ear.

"Abby I'm heading down to the hi-fi store if you want to come," he asked; the teenager did not respond and remained engrossed in the screen. "Abby," he tried again. "Abby," he said louder.

Finally the teenager, pulling out one of her headphones, turned around and jumped at how close Nate was to her.

"Geeze," she exclaimed. "You scared me."

"I'm going down to the record store (they're having a sale) if you want to join me?" he asked again. "My treat?"

"Uh sure," Abby accepted, shutting down her computer and grabbing her bag, not entirely sure what Nate's ulterior motive was (and she was sure there was one).

They walked briskly down to the music store, a favourite haunt of Nate's; hidden away in an alley it had the best collection of vinyl, cd and even 8-track in the city but, due to its location, wasn't overrun with questionable youngsters.

As they walked inside Abby's eye's widened in awe. "Look at all of the music. All of the DVD's. It would take you hours to go through it all."

"Well, Ishmael at the front desk there," Nate said, gesturing to an Israeli man stacking CD's. "Knows every single artist, album, series, movie and disc in here and where it is in the store."

"That's impressive," Abby agreed as she walked over to the jazz section.

"So you're a jazz fan?" the mastermind enquired.

"I guess; I like everything really," she replied, flicking through the CD's, stacking the one's which took her interest. "Just how much are you treating me to exactly?"

Nate pondered for a moment. "60 bucks," he finally decided.

"That'll work," she nodded and she began to browse through the music, films and TV shows. "Nate?" she asked after several minutes of perusing. "Why did you really bring me down here."

Nate sighed. "Not a lot gets passed you does it?"

"Except on the computer with my headphones in," she replied.

"Yeah," Nate agreed. "Because I felt like yesterday you wanted to say more."

"Yesterday?"

"When you asked me about Sam," he clarified and the teenager hung her head.

"I just I don't get to talk about my ma much because I know it makes Eliot feel angry at himself, and he already has enough of that. But then you sorta gave me vibes that you didn't want to talk about your son either so, I dunno, it doesn't matter," she said before turning her head back to the discs.

"You don't feel like you can talk to Eliot about it?" Nate clarified.

"He feels _really _responsible for her death and I don't like making him feel that way. He would if I wanted to, but that's not fair on him."

"What did you want to talk about?" Nate asked, leaning back on a nearby table while the teenager continued to flick through CD's, although she did not pay much attention to them.

"_She _was really smart too you know," Abby began. "She put herself through Law School and college while I was still a baby. She'd read stories and have tea parties with me but I don't remember her; I don't have any vivid memories."

"You need to talk to Eliot," Nate pressed.

"But…"

"It may make him feel bad to think about your mother but I'm pretty sure it'd make him feel worse if he found out you couldn't remember her and wanted to know more about her," he explained as best as he could. "Anything in particular that brought this on?"

She shook her head. "Just me missing her."

"It's okay to miss her you know; like I said yesterday, I still miss Sam every day," he opened up, even though it pained him to do so.

"Did you love your wife?" Abby asked and the question took Nate by surprise.

"Of course I did," he replied.

"Then why did you divorce?" she questioned further.

"Because we both loved Sam so much that it hurt to be with each other; we weren't happy," he explained.

"Are you happy now?"

Nate thought about his question for a moment. Was he happy? Did he have what he wanted in life.

"For the most part," he decided. "Have you picked what you want to get?" he asked, once again diplomatically changing the subject.

"Yeah," Abby replied as she held up some DVD's and CD's. "We're good."

"Good 'cause I got a client meeting," he replied.

"What about?"

"Something to do with a funeral home."

* * *

**So I hope you enjoyed. **

**Next chapter; the aftermath of the Grave Danger Job and possibly the chat with Abby and Eliot about her mother, not sure yet, we'll see where my muse takes me. **


	7. The Grave Danger Job

**So, this isn't really Abby focused at all and I considered taking her out and publishing this as a one shot. But I decided against it, just because.**

* * *

Hardison stared at the table blankly, his now unsavourably warm orange soda sitting untouched to his left. Parker sat just as silently opposite him, completely unsure of what to say to the man; she didn't, after-all, really understand fear. She shut it out, shut all emotions out to keep from being hurt and from getting caught and normally, that was a good technique for her. Until she was required to empathise and make her hacker feel better.

"I'll be right back," Parker said as she stood up and walked upstairs to seek advice from Sophie. "I..I, uh, I don't know what to do," the thief stammered when she was face to face with the grifter.

"About Hardison?" Sophie clarified.

"Yes! He's been so angry and jumpy and not Hardison since the whole coffin thing and I don't know what to do? I want to help him but I don't know what to do," Parker spat out as Sophie put her hand on the thief's shoulder.

_That evening, the evening after Hardison had nearly died by being buried alive; there was an eerie silence as they returned back to Nate's place. Abby, having heard everything over the comms, ran up to him immediately and gave him a loving hug while the hacker stood, eyes glazed over, before he sat down on the couch and turned on the TV._

_Nobody had liked the job, being that it had forced them to face issues they'd rather not face again; the death of someone they cared about, which all of them, had gone through before and had no intention, any time soon of going through again._

_It had forced them to face their fears; to think about what scared them the most, which no one, not even the world's best criminals, liked to do._

_But, they had recovered; except their hacker. Hardison, while taken up with the task of finding and taking down the Wicket's and the task of making sure Javier and his drugs were taken into custody, had been fine. The task had served as a distraction to keep him from thinking about how he truly felt about the situation. At the conclusion of the job though, the fear had begun to take the better of him and he was no longer truly himself; just a silent, moody, withdrawn, jumpy version of Alec Hardison._

"He's scared. What do you do want when you're scared?"

"What he wants," Hardison declared as he wandered into Nate's apartment. "Is for.. for this to never have happened."

"How are you feeling?" Sophie asked sympathetically.

"Don't, don't do that Sophie. Try to empathise with me? You don't know what it was like down there," the hacker exclaimed, uncharacteristically angry. "To think you're gonna die alone? I was damn scared out of my mind."

"What's going on?" Eliot asked suspiciously as he and Abby entered the room; Eliot carrying bags of groceries, Abby carrying her school satchel.

"Hardison was just…."Sophie began.

"...letting out his feelings," Nate interrupted.

"I don't need you all to coddle me like a baby; I can deal with this just fine," Hardison said as he walked to the fridge, angrily removing a bottle of orange soda from the door.

"You don't," Eliot said softly. "You don't have to be fine," he said, this time louder.

"And it's okay to let it out," Sophie added.

"What?" Hardison enquired.

"If you let out what is within you what is within you will save you, if…" Abby began softly.

"...if you do not let out what is within you then what is within you will destroy you," Nate joined in. "Gospel of Thomas," he supplied.

"Right," Abby agreed.

"It means it's good not to keep things bottled up," Nate explained, ignoring the fact that he chose to dismiss this advice every day. But that was him, not Hardison; the two were completely different people.

"Not to mention all of the psychological evidence that suggests that getting this out is very therapeutic," Sophie added.

"What do you want?" Hardison asked angrily as he leaned forward and looked down at the kitchen bench, his hands stretched out wide.

"Tell them how you feel," Parker clarified, though she was mostly lost in a conversation containing psycho-babble she knew nothing about.

"I didn't used to be scared of a lot of things that didn't involve losing my family, but now…" the hacker paused as he coughed uncomfortably. "Now I'm just scared."

"We all get scare…."

"You don't get it!" he yelled. "I'm scared. Scared of being left alone, scared of enclosed spaces; I can't even take the elevator up to this apartment."

"Everyone had fears Hardison," Sophie said.

"Not crippling fears! Not fears that make you walk twenty floors up to your apartment; not fears that stop you from doing something normal."

"Of course they do Hardison," Sophie stated again.

"I'm scared of people," Parker suggested. "That definitely stops me from doing normal people things."

"But you're…" Hardison began then halted as he searched for the most sensitive word. "Special. You're special Parker."

"I'm sure Sophie's scared of things too," the thief exclaimed. The grifter opened her mouth and then closed it again, not extremely keen to talk about her fears; just like the rest of the team and just like Alec.

"Flying," Sophie finally declared.

"What?" Hardison asked.

"Flying," she said again. "After that Genogrow business on the plane I get really nervous when I fly."

"And you all know how I feel about hospitals," Nate added as he took Sophie's hand lovingly. "I can't deal with them."

"I'm scared of the dark. I have to sleep with fairy lights on," Abby exclaimed.

All head's turned to Eliot, who took a deep breath.

"Abby," he stated. "I'm scared something is going to happen to Abby."

"See; we're all scared of something," Sophie reassured. "The key is, to not let it get the better of you."

"How?"

"Fight it," Eliot informed him. "You fight it."

"I…I don't," the hacker stammered as Eliot picked up Hardison's coat and gestured him outside.

"We're going out," the hitter declared, opening the door and giving a brief nod to Nate as he followed the hacker into the hall.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Where are we going?" Hardison asked walking purposely behind the hitter who was walking at un uncomfortably fast pace.

"Doesn't matter Hardison," Eliot replied, stopping and turning to face the hacker in the middle of the street. "It doesn't matter."

"Then why are we out here?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders before crossing his arms.

"To talk," Eliot replied; the hacker shrugged again, gesturing the hitter to start his so called talk. "You know what I said inside about fighting the fear?"

"Yeah but I don't…"

"Know how?" Eliot finished for him. "Don't think you have the strength to get over it? Whenever you think that, whenever you feel like the fear is too much I want you to remember something. I want you to remember Parker."

"What, why?"

"Because you love her and because she got you through that hell hole. She got you through that fear; why?"

"Because… because she's Parker," he replied simply.

"Then that's how you fight it," Eliot explained. "If Parker got you through the worst of it she can get you through the rest of it. You fight the fear for her and because of her."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That evening Hardison paced around nervously in the back of the bar before finally working up the courage to go and talk to Parker in the bar.

"I-I never would have made it through that without you," he began softly, standing close to her. "You know that right Parker?"

The thief shrugged as soft tears started falling from her eyes. "Oh, that's not true," she replied modeslty. "Anyone can learn to hold their breath," she continued before Hardison lent in and gave the thief a loving kiss on the cheek; an action which surprised them both.

"Thanks for not hanging up the phone."

"Yeah," the thief replied simply as Hardison began to walk away. She sat for a moment, smiling through the tears of half joy and half fear. "Hardison," she yelled as she stood up and ran towards her hacker. "Please don't do that again," she begged as she hugged him, her arms draped around his neck.

"Ain't gonna happen mamma," he replied as he hugged her back, his arms around her back. "As long as you get me through this."

"Sure," Parker, with a quizzical look on her face (knowing Hardison couldn't see) replied. "I'll get you through this," she said quietly and, even though she wasn't sure what _it _was she didn't care; she would be there for him, just like he had always been there for her.

* * *

**Still looking for someone to assist with my writers block FYI- just need someone to help me with the con I'm working on. **

**Thanks for the reviews and PM's you've been sending me- they've been amazing!**


	8. Grifter

**Part one of an undetermined number of a request for wolfprowl. Hope you like it and thanks for your continued support. =)**

* * *

"Sophie guess what?" Abby quizzed eagerly, bounding into the bar. The grifter, Parker and Hardison were sitting at a table, chatting about their upcoming con in the Caribbean and trying to explain that the emerald wasn't a literal emerald.

"I don't know?" Sophie asked in response.

"Oh, oh, let me guess," Parker said eagerly, raising her hand like a school girl. "You stole a diamond? You crashed your car? You met George Clooney? You and…."

"I got a part in the school play!" Abby interrupted.

"Oooh, exciting!" Sophie exclaimed. "What play?"

"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers; I'm playing Doris," the teenager replied as she sat down next to Sophie. "I was hoping you could help me out with my acting and stuff?"

Hardison and Parker exchanged worried glances; apparently Abby wasn't aware at how bad of an actor Sophie was.

"I'd love to!" the grifter exclaimed before the others had a chance to intervene.

"This isn't going to be good is it?" Parker whispered to Hardison, who, with his lips tight shut shook his head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You have to feel it!" Sophie exclaimed as she flourished her arms about. "Why does Doris not want to marry Benjamin? What deep innermost secret is stopping her from loving him?"

"Well, I would think that it has something to do with the fact that he kidnapped her," Abby stated, as small amount sarcasm in her voice. She walked up to the kitchen where Eliot was cleaning out the fridge.

"Where are you going?" the grifter asked.

"Just getting a drink Sophie," she yelled back and then, as she pulled a glass out of one of the cupboards, turned to her uncle. "I didn't know she was this bad. I don't get it," she said in a hushed tone. "She's a great grifter but this is, this is just painful. Why didn't you warn me?"

"Chop chop," Sophie yelled from down beside the couches.

"Help me please," she pleaded as she finished off the last of her water.

"Sorry darl, you're on your own," Eliot replied, grinning slightly. The teenager walked over to the grifter.

"Look, Sophie, not that this isn't, uh, interesting and uh, well, interesting," she began. "It's a high school play; not Broadway," she said, finally confessing her frustrations, as she lent down on the arm of the couch. When she had asked Sophie for help she hadn't expected such a drawn out tiresome event.

"Not yet!" the grifter said hopefully, pulling the teenager off of the couch and into the space they had created to rehearse. Abby moaned and the grifter raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Sophie I just wanted you to help me memorise my lines and give me some acting tips," the teenager finally confessed.

"That's what I was doing?"

"No, no," Abby stated, shaking her head. "We just spent two hours on the feelings and backstory of my character."

"You don't like my methods?" Sophie asked disappointingly.

"They're just a bit advanced for me Soph," she replied, trying to soften the blow.

"What did you want to work on then?"

"I was hoping you could run through my lines with me and help me with my accent," she suggested alternatively. This caused Sophie to perk up.

"Accents I can help you with," the grifter grinned. "So, Doris from the Southern states, this means you're already halfway there with the accent," Sophie began and the lesson on how to perfect her southern drawl continued, productively while Eliot took the rare lapse in job to catch up on some reading, for half an hour before Nate came traipsing down the stairs and Hardison and Parker walked through the front door, all carrying their luggage.

"You ready to go?" Nate asked the grifter, who confusedly looked down at her watch.

"Is it that time already?" Sophie queried; it was much later than she had thought it would be.

"Yup, we gotta plane to catch," Parker stated. "And an emerald to steal," she added dreamily; the team did not correct her.

"Right," Sophie said, moderately flushed as she gathered her things. Abby did the same then, after Nate's apartment was locked and the alarms set, walked down to the car with the team, although she was not going with them. He hated leaving her alone, as did she, but there was little they could do. Having her tag along could prove more dangerous than leaving her at home, not to mention she had school. The option had also been thrown around about having her stay with Bonnano, but after Eliot had discovered her and his son had crushes on each other, that option was thrown promptly out the nearest window. Instead they had settled on her staying in their apartment alone (as the trip was only for three days) and having Hardison set up extra cameras and security surrounding their place. She had agreed to go straight to and from school, wear her comms and check in with the detective for the duration of the teams' absence. It wasn't a perfect, but, for now, it worked.

"Please be safe," she pleaded as she hugged Eliot goodbye next to the trunk, after everyone's luggage was loaded.

"Always," he hugged back as he kissed her on her head.

"You'll be back in time for my play yeah?" the teenager confirmed, pulling out of the hug.

"Wouldn't miss it," he replied.

"Plane flights put us back a good four hours before you go on," Hardison added as he leant against the car door. "We'll be there."

"Good," Abby stated, brushing her windblown hair back behind her ear. "That's good. I'll see you in three days then."

"Sure thing darlin'," the hitter said, opening the passenger door. "Keep your comms on you okay? And don't do anything stupid."

"I won't," she replied while the rest of the team filed into the car.

"Don't take the same route home, have the house locked up by seven, call me if you're going anywhere, call Bonnano if anything feels off and watch your back," Eliot warned.

"What? No 'don't talk to strangers'," Abby joked.

"That too," Eliot agreed. "Love you."

"Love you too," she smiled as the team drove off to the airport.

* * *

**Sorry for the delay; I had plans to upload this and more last night but I still haven't finished it, so, rather than make you wait, I decided to give you half of the chapter. It's not extremely eventful but, hey, it's better than nothing. **

**Umm, I'm still always up for requests, for those of you who already have, its, slowly on its way. **

**My plan now is to update twice a week, especially while I have 2 stories to update. **

**Ta :)**


	9. The Cross My Heart Job

**Part 2/3 of wolfprowl's request. Please enjoy**

**Takes place during the Cross My Heart Job**

* * *

"Are you grumpy because of the spear gun, shipwreck thing or are you grumpy because of something else?" Parker asked innocently as Eliot and she fiddled with their makeshift comms. The hitter pointed angrily at the clock; it read quarter past nine.

"Play starts in fifteen minutes Parker," Eliot stated, without looking up from his current task. "We're not going to make it."

"Just call her and tell her why," the thief suggested.

"No, really? I didn't think of that," the hitter replied sarcastically.

"Well go on then," the thief replied, shooing him away and clearly not picking up on the sarcasm. "Go and call."

"I did, she's not picking up because phones have to be silent backstage," he explained, trying to stay as calm as possible.

"Oh," Parker replied sadly. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"There's two kids' life at stake here and, as much as I hate it, that takes precedence," he explained, this time more softly.

"Then why are you upset? If saving two kids' lives are more important that missing one kids' play, why worry?" she queried; apparently she still didn't quite understand the idea of family in its entirety and the commitment which came with it.

"Parker, when you have kids," he began, placing down his tools and hoping that the day never came when Parker had to raise a child. "You'll understand. They'll always be the most important thing; their achievements, like a school play, are just as important too. But what's important isn't always best for everyone or right, so you have to make sacrifices."

"Will she understand?" she asked meekly in response.

"She's gonna be pissed as hell," he replied; Parker gave him a quizzical look. "I've missed out on half her life; half of her school plays and recitals and while I understand, and so does she, neither of us like it and it's not fair on her to have to expect me _not _to be there." He explained and, out of the corner of his ear, heard Hardison speaking to Nate.

"Nobody's asking Eliot to fight a guy with a Nerf Sword," the hacker exclaimed.

"Damascus, 2002," he replied smugly, happy at the change of conversation, as he fondly remembered a fine summer evening, prince's palace and an unprecedented amount of blood for a fight with a foam weapon

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Abby fixed up the small smudge of makeup beneath her eye and adjusted, for the fiftieth time, her costume. She didn't understand how women wore corsets every day.

"Half an hour 'till curtain every one," one of the stage hands announced and there was a hushed moment of panic as people questioned whether they had forgotten their lines, where their props were, did their hair and makeup look fine. Abby's mind was only on the question of where her family was. "AJ," the stage hand yelled out. "There's someone here for you," he said excitedly and pointed towards the stage door.

Abby jumped up from her chair and ran to the door, opening it up eagerly and stepping outside into the night. "You made it!" she exclaimed before she saw who it was.

"Course I made it," Kyle exclaimed, slightly confused. "I told you I was coming; you ordered the tickets."

"Sorry, yeah. I thought you were Eliot," she confessed then looked down at the bouquet of flowers he was holding in his arms. "You bought me flowers?"

"Yeah, well, every leading lady should have flowers," he replied as he handed her the dozen red tulips. Abby took them in awe.

"They're beautiful Kyle," she thanked as she sniffed them; they were fragrant and calming. Then, as the teenage boy in front of her swayed awkwardly, she leant forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Is your dad nearby?" she asked before he could say anything.

"No, uh, he just left. Why?" the boy enquired, though he was clearly distracted.

"Just need to talk to him is all," she replied. "Anyway, I should get back inside." She smiled and waved to her friend as he walked around to the entrance before she went back inside, pulling her phone out of her bra and dialling the detective's number.

"_Abigail,_" the man greeted. "_Shouldn't you be getting ready?_"

"Umm, I'm pretty much ready now," she replied.

"_What can I do for you?_"

"Have you heard from Eliot or the others?" she questioned and she could almost sense the detective leaning forward attentively in his chair.

"_No,_" he replied simply.

"'Cause they were meant to get back this afternoon from a job in.."

"…_ unless it's way outta my jurisdiction don't want to know,_" he interrupted.

"The Caribbean," she continued knowing that was about four states and an ocean out of his authority. "But I can't get a hold of them on comms or cells and they weren't on the flight back…"

"_I'll look into it,_" he said quickly. "_But I wouldn't worry; they're good at what they do_."

"Yeah okay," she replied, though unconvinced.

"_Break a leg okay_?" he encouraged.

"Sure thing," she stated as she hung up the phone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hardison," Parker said softly as she walked up to the hacker, sitting at the desktop.

"Yeah girl?" he replied.

"Can you stall Abby's play? Delay it 'till tomorrow night? When we're back?" she pleaded.

The hacker stared at her for a moment. "Uh, yeah, girl; sure. I didn't think you were that into theatre?"

"I'm not but Eliot should be there," she replied simply. Hardison smiled at her; he loved this side of Parker, even if it showed itself less often than a yeti in Hawaii.

"I'll see what I can do but I might need…." he began as Sophie rolled into the restaurant on her newly acquired wheelchair. "Sophie's help," he finished.

"What now?" Sophie asked, standing up out of the chair and shaking out her hair.

"Parker here wants to delay Abby's play so…."

"So he can do his job for Abby," Parker finished.

"That's really nice Parker," Sophie smiled before she walked over to beside the others at the computer. "Pass me the phone please?" She requested and Hardison handed over their client's cell. "And the number for the Drama co-ordinator," she stated. The hacker took a few moments longer than usual to find the number online (the computer was prehistoric) but he found it nevertheless. Sophie keyed the number and pressed call. Hardison looked at his watch.

"I should go before Eliot chews my head off about being late," the hacker exclaimed, standing up and excusing himself from the restaurant.

"Hi," Sophie said into the device in one of her best New York accents. "My name is Jenna O'Donnell, I'm calling on behalf of Mr. Clooney," she began then gave a panicked look to the thief. She tapped on her watch and mouthed 'you have to go get Eliot.' She made a steering motion with her hands. 'Drive the buggy,' she mouthed.

Parker checked the clock on the wall; she was late. Her eyes widened in panic and she ran off out the door. Sophie, meanwhile, turned her attention back to the call.

"_I'm sorry, I don't…" _a male voice came over the phone.

"Is this Mr Marigold, head of the drama department of Quincy High School?" Sophie continued, interrupting the man.

"_Uh yes. Sorry who is this?"_ he asked confusedly.

"I represent Mr Clooney," Sophie repeated quickly. "Now, he's heard about the rendition you're doing of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and was very much keen on attending."

"_Mr Clooney? Like the actor?" _he queried, growing more and more flustered.

"You've heard of him?" Sophie clarified.

"_Yes, yes, of course. He's coming to the show?"_

"Well, that depends on you. You see, Mr Clooney has unfortunately been delayed and won't be arriving in Boston until tomorrow."

"_Tonight is our closing night," _Marigold replied in a panicky manner.

"It doesn't have to be," Sophie suggested. "Mr Clooney was hoping you'd be able to delay tonight's show until he's available tomorrow evening."

"_Well, I don't know," _the man replied; Sophie could tell he was right on the edge of saying yes.

"What's that Mr Clooney?" Sophie yelled out as though she was talking to someone on her side of the phone. "Of course I'll tell him," she stated, then turned back to talk to the drama teacher. "He also said he'd be most interested in meeting the director…"

"_Consider the show delayed," _the man said quickly. _"And I'll set the best seat aside for Mr Clooney."_

"Five seats," Sophie instructed, smiling smugly; she loved it when she got her way. "Mr Clooney thanks you for your co-operation."

* * *

**Next chapter up thur/fri ish =)**

**Thanks for reading and reviews are ALWAYS welcome, hint hint =P**

**ta**


	10. The Performance

"I can't, Clooney, amazing, my show, star," Abby heard the head of drama mumble, five minutes for curtains, as he rushed about backstage. It was the Clooney that caught her attention; she was used to her teachers' eccentricities and obsessiveness, which lapped Sophie's by miles, for drama, but Clooney? That had to be the Leverage crew.

"Mr Marigold," Abby yelled out as loud as she dared for backstage, hitching up her long dress as she tried to chase after him.

"Can't talk have to," he began but trailed off as he walked out onto the stage and gestured one of the stage hands to draw the curtains; the audience cheered in belief the play was starting

Abby stood in the wings, arms crossed, leaning over her left foot with her brow furrowed in confusion and intrigue.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Marigold began and the crowd began to hush itself. "I'd like to thankyou all for coming, first of all, but I must inform you that, due to unforeseen circumstances, we must delay our closing night 'till tomorrow evening."

In the audience and backstage, there was a Mexican wave of whispers as the news was passed from person to person, all equally as confused as the last. All except Abby, who smiled at the notion, as she now knew that not only were her family alive and well, but would make it to see her show.

The man finished his speech, though failed to mention Mr Clooney to the audience and then hurried back stage, pushing his way past Abby as he did. Abby took the opportunity to lift, just as Parker had secretly been teaching her, his phone out of his pocket; it wasn't exactly a smooth lift, but Marigold was so hyped up he didn't even notice.

She turned the phone on, went into the received calls section and pressed redial on his last received call.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"You gave him your name," Sophie said to Nate in horror.

"I want him to know my name," Nate replied in a solemn and malicious tone. Then, to both of their surprise, Linda's phone rang. Sophie gave him a concerned look as Nate picked up the phone quickly and answered it.

"Talk quick," Nate said threateningly.

"_Ha! I knew it!" _a voice exclaimed over the line.

"What? Abby? How?" Nate questioned, slightly confused as to how the girl got the number.

"_George Clooney my ass!"_

"Is that Abby?" Sophie asked.

"Yeah, she's saying something to do with George Clooney," Nate replied and Sophie gave a satisfied grin.

"_So you guys are okay?" _Abby asked and, in Nate's moment of confusion, Sophie stole the phone from him.

"Abby!" Sophie exclaimed. "Yes, we're fine we just lost all of our phones and comms then we got stuck doing a job on our layover."

"_Was that you that delayed the play?"_

"Yes, well, it's good to put my acting skills to good use," Sophie said proudly.

"_Thanks Sophie. So you're going to be able to make it now?" _the teenager asked hopefully.

"Thank Parker, it was her idea," Sophie informed the girl. "And we'll definitely be there."

"_Awesome. And can you do me a favour?"_

"Sure, what do you need?"

"_Don't tell Eliot,"_ the teenager requested. "_I want it to be a surprise."_

"_Nate, he's getting on the plane," _Eliot exclaimed over their makeshift intercoms._ "We're on him right now, but he's getting on with the heart."_

"_What was that about a heart?" _Abby questioned, not entirely sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"We'll explain later," Sophie said quickly. "And your secret's safe."

"Well, get him off the plane now," Nate instructed the hitter.

"_I should let you go," _Abby replied.

"Probably," Sophie agreed and, after saying goodbye, hung up the phone.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After several conversations with her classmates, feigning disappointment, confusion and anger at her teacher, and changing into a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt, Abby wandered outside.

She was met by Kyle, leaning against his father's car.

"Top show Abby, just brilliant," he praised sarcastically.

"Why thankyou," she replied, playing along, as Detective Bonnano got out of the car. "Hi," she smiled at the man, who nodded a hello.

"Look," he began uncomfortably. "I couldn't find anything about what happened. The only thing I could find was a shipwreck in the Caribbean. Maybe you should stay…."

"Oh no, don't worry!" she exclaimed. "The delay for our final performance was because of them."

"How do you know that?" he asked cautiously. One reason behind the question being his duty as a police officer, the other as a concerned parent, the third being if anything happened to the girl he wasn't entirely certain that Eliot wouldn't have his head.

"George Clooney; the delay was because George Clooney wants to come see the play," she stated simply.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive! Talked to Sophie myself."

"Well that's good to hear," Bonnano stated.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The plane flight back from Cincinnati had been filled with mixed emotions. Sophie, Nate, Parker and Hardison were all thrilled, though it showed differently in each of them, at what they had accomplished the night before. Parker, Hardison and Sophie were also particular excited about the small prize awaiting their unsuspecting hitter once they landed in Boston. Eliot's mood, on the other hand, had been far from elation, his leg tapping ever so slightly out of nervousness as he contemplated the disappointment and anger of his niece.

They landed and got through security without any issue, picked up their luggage and waited for Hardison to pull the car around from the parking bay.

"Where are we going?" Eliot growled, breaking the silence that had arisen as they drove home from the airport, when he noticed Hardison turning off the highway one exit too soon.

The hacker gave a knowing grin as he looked back at Eliot in his rear-view mirror. "You'll see," he said as he nodded.

"Dammit Hardison!" the hitter swore. "If you're trynna take me to one o' those nerd fests again-"

"Hey man, how many times I gotta tell you; _geek _fest," he corrected. "And just be cool man; you'll like this surprise."

"Yeah well, I don't like surprises," Eliot complained.

"Everyone likes surprises silly!" Parker exclaimed as they turned another corner.

"Where are we going Hardison?" the hitter asked once more. "I gotta get home and console a hormonal teenager about missing her play."

A small grin slipped from Sophie's lips as they pulled up to the school. A confused and bewildered look sat on Eliot's face.

"What?" Eliot asked as Hardison undid his seatbelt and twisted around in his chair to face the hitter.

"Sophie pulled some of her magic and got the play delayed so you could go see it," Hardison explained.

"We," Sophie and Parker corrected simultaneously.

"I got all of us tickets and that means you too Nate," Sophie exclaimed knowing Nate, though interested, would be far from enthusiastic and would much rather be at home building model ships.

"Does Abby-"

"She knows and is very excited," Sophie interrupted as she opened the door and stepped outside. "Pip-pip; the play starts in two minutes," she continued, gesturing the rest of the team out of the vehicle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Oh Milly, we've been kidnapped!" Abby exclaimed in her best southern drawl and, in the lull between her lines gave a quick glance out into the audience. Although the stage lights prevented her from seeing lots, she could just make out the silhouettes of her favourite team of criminals.

"Good job on the accent Sophie," Nate whispered to Sophie.

"Shhhhhh!" Parker hushed; she was sitting cross-legged on the seat next to Sophie, leaning forward and watching the performance with intense concentration. Nate grinned at this while he silently contemplated how their team had grown, then returned his attention back to the play.

Dance steps were fumbled through, lines (thankfully) weren't forgotten, songs were (for the most part) sung on key and even Nate had to admit that, for a high school production, it was a pretty good play.

An hour later though, it was complete and as Abby came on stage to take her bow, the Leverage crew cheered the loudest; a notion which caused Abby to grin like she'd just won the lottery.

Then the director, Marigold, came out on stage, clearly flustered. "I'd like to thank the school, the wonderful cast, the lighting and sound crew, our stagehand," Marigold thanked as he began to sweat under the stage lights. "And, of course, Mr Clooney for gracing us with his presence," he stated, pointing to where the Leverage crew was seated.

"George Clooney?" Eliot asked.

"It worked didn't it!" Sophie exclaimed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Bravah!" Sophie shouted, applauding as Abby, still dressed in her costume and carrying a backpack, walked outside to meet the team. The teenager quickened her pace and, when she drew close enough, jumped excitedly into Eliot's arms.

"Well done darlin'," he exclaimed.

"Did you like it?" Abby asked as she let go of Eliot, brushing the hair off her face and hitched up her back pack.

"Course we did," Eliot replied.

"Yeah! Totally hilarious," Parker exclaimed. "But Dorcas the rest of those girls should have been carrying tasers."

"Thanks Parker," the teenager replied, knowing that, coming from Parker that statement was definitely a compliment.

"Yeah Ace," Hardison praised. "You totally rocked it."

"Very well done," Nate said simply.

Abby smiled in thanks as they began to walk back to their vehicles.

"So what's this I heard about a heart?" she queried and Parker opened her mouth to respond but closed it quickly in response to the yelling coming from the entrance to the auditorium.

"Mr Clooney? Mr Clooney!" they heard Marigold yell out in hope and in desperation.

"Ya know, someone should really tell him," Hardison exclaimed.

"Nah, he'll figure it out eventually," Parker replied.

"I'll have Clooney send him some cookies apologising," Hardison decided sympathetically.

"Nice job Sophie," Nate whispered to the grifter as he walked with his arm around her.

"It was all Parker's idea," she said back softly just as the teenager leant back from walking next to Eliot and mouthed to the thief 'thankyou'.

Parker grinned and gave Abby two thumbs up to the thief as they made their way back to the bar to celebrate all of their successes.

* * *

**Thank you wolfprowl for the request, I really had fun writing this. **

**Any more requests are welcome and if there's a specific episode tie in you want done, let me know. **


	11. Parent Teacher Conferences

**Takes place just after the Lonely Hearts Job which, in my universe, takes place after the last chapter but before the Queen's Gambit Job. Mostly because when I wrote this I forgot to check the order of the episodes. **

**I hope you'll all forgive me? :)**

* * *

In the bar the team sat at a table, celebrating their latest win against Meredith and her hoard of grifters.

"I still can't believe you got me a plant," Parker exclaimed to Hardison. "That eats things."

"I can't believe I didn't get to go to the Hamptons," Abby complained.

"You had school," her uncle stated. "Speaking of which I should get going," he said as he sipped back the last of his beer.

"Promise me you won't embarrass me."

"How am I going to embarrass you? When have I ever embarrassed you?" he asked in response.

"Dropping me off at school in a Ferrari when I was 10, dating my 3rd grade teacher, breaking up with my 3rd grade teacher, making me wear elbow pads to ride my bike to Mrs Grey's..."

"You made her wear elbow pads?" Hardison asked as he made a face of disgust.

"She was five and really, really accident prone," Eliot defended.

"It was on the other side of the street," Abby stated.

"So you were one of those really overprotective parents?" Sophie asked, not unsurprised.

"_Is_," Abby corrected.

"I was not overprotective," Eliot protested. "The knee pads were your mother's idea anyway."

"Why is Eliot going to embarrass you?" Parker asked.

"I'm not..." Eliot began but then realised it was trivial.

"Parent teacher conference," Abby informed.

"I should be heading off and I want you to finish your coke and then get home okay? And don't take like an hour to finish it like you did last time."

"Okay," she said, kissing him on the cheek as he left.

"Why is he embarrassing you?" Parker questioned again, still confused.

"My lit teacher," Abby stated simply.

"I'm still confused."

"Is she young and attractive?" Sophie enquired and the teenager nodded.

"Apparently," Abby replied. "And Eliot is Eliot."

"Oh," Parker exclaimed. "And you think they're going to..." she made an odd, Parker like gesture with her hands, finishing her sentence.

"And then they're going to never speak again and things will forever be awkward between me and my teacher."

"They might not," Sophie suggested and both Nate and Hardison scoffed slightly, well aware of Eliot's reputation with women. Sophie raised an eyebrow in disapproval.

"I think Nate and Alec said it well," Abby stated, finishing off the last of her drink. "Anyway, I should go. I'll see you tomorrow."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

After Abby left the bar Sophie called up the hitter, driving in his car to Abby's school.

"_Yeah Soph,"_

"How do you feel about Abigail having sex?" She stated bluntly, through the phone, she could hear the screeching of breaks.

"_Why?" _he said in his angry voice.

"Because you need to set an example. You know Abby's interested in Bonnano's kid…."

_"Wait, you lost me,"_ he interjected.

"I know you're a man and you have... needs but Abby is well aware of your reputation with women and is that the sort of example you want to be setting for her? That women are objects to be used and discard..."

"_You know I don't think that!"_

"Does Abby?"

_"She's smarter than..."_

"Than what Eliot? Teenagers learn from the examples that are set from the people around them, _especially_ their role models. And don't forget that Abby's mother was the same age she is when she got pregnant."

Eliot wanted to be angry but he knew she was right, but he couldn't just let a comment like that slide.

_"And you and Nate huh? What sorta example is that setting?"_

This statement caught Sophie by surprise; she hadn't really thought about it from this perspective.

"You know Nate's not ready for a relationship Eliot, but you know as well as I do that we are in a relationship; just an unconventional one."

"_So," _he said, looking for some sort of definite answer.

"So," Sophie stated. "Be a role model. I'm not saying don't have sex just be wary of the example you're setting for your little girl."

_"Yeah, okay," _he said. "_And thanks Sophie and if you could..."_

"Give you my input into raising a teenage girl?" she offered and Eliot silently thanked her for not making him finish that sentence.

"_Thank you Sophie." _

_"_We've all grown to love that girl Eliot and we'll always be here to help."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Pulling up at the school Eliot still wasn't sure what exactly had brought on the rather unusual call from Sophie that was until he walked into the classroom and saw a beautiful, fair skinned woman with strawberry blonde (how he loved red hair) hair sitting at a desk; utterly stunning.

"Miss Brennan?" He asked.

"Call me Kara," she said with a southern accent; how he loved a southern woman.

"Eliot Spencer."

"Of course, you must be AJ's..." she trailed off, not too sure of the relationship.

"Uncle," he offered, tensing slightly at the use of Abigail's nickname.

"Right," she said smiling. "Well AJ is wonderful; bright, joyful and she's doing excellently in class, even despite her starting here mid semester."

"So she's doing well?"

"Excellently, she's picked up a few odd spellings from her time overseas, but it's nothing in the grand scheme of thing."

"Yeah, she picked up a few odd habits over there," he smiled. "You ever been?" he said, his flirtatious nature taking over.

"No, I'd love to go sometime though," she said, ever so slightly flirting back.

"Well I should go see her other teachers," Eliot said, Sophie's words ringing in his ear.

"Oh well it was nice to meet you Eliot," Kara said, extending her hand for him to shake, a slight look of disappointment on her face.

"You as well," he replied, returning the gesture.

XXXXXXXXX

Eliot enjoyed driving, even if it was just to the school and home, as it gave him time to think; let him get away from the outside world and just think and that evening was no different.

The call from Sophie had made him realise that he wasn't just raising a person but a girl; a woman. Sure had had practically raised his sister after his mother's death but that had turned out with Hayley being pregnant and the pair of them exiled from their own home; not exactly what he wanted for Abby. And more than that, he was a thief. How on earth did he expect to raise an honest, truthful person when he lied and stole for a living? How could he expect Abby to be any different than him?

The thoughts had been swirling about in the back of his mind ever since Abby had come back into his life but only now were they starting to articulate themselves.

These thought scared him, and not a lot scared Eliot.

So, Eliot did the only thing he could think of, as much as it pained him to do so.

* * *

**What is it that Eliot will do? **

**So, updating will probably slow due to (good) changes in real life. Slow, not stop, I have big plans for this story (provided you all keep on enjoying it and reviewing *hint hint* :P).**

**Until then, have an excellent day!**


	12. Man to Man, Heart to Heart

Nate was watching an old noire film when Eliot opened the door, carrying beer and pizza and, looking at his watch, Nate realised that this was urgent beer and pizza.

"Eliot," he greeted.

"Nate," the hitter replied. "Bought beer."

"Yeah, I can see that," Nate said Eliot sat down beside him, stealing the remote and flipping over to the sports channel.

A silence ensued for the next ten minutes or so as they slowly drank their beers and ate their pizza, feigning engulfment in the game. Nate was actually thinking about what on earth this was about while Eliot was silently brooding in the fact that something Sophie had said had gotten him so riled up.

"So," Nate finally said, to Eliot's relief.

"How the hell am I meant to do this?" Eliot asked, opening up despite his better judgement.

"What, you talking about Abby?"

"Yeah."

"The same as you did before."

"Yeah, but now she's a real person with opinions and hormones and skills and aspirations..."

"What exactly is worrying you Eliot?" Nate asked, cutting Eliot off. He didn't reply. "What you're worried she's going to get pregnant at 16 like her mother?" Again, there was no reply. "Or end up like you?" Eliot made a face suggesting Nate was right on the nose. The mastermind took a deep breath.

"Eliot you did what you had to do, I would have if it meant saving Sam. So maybe you've done some bad things but they're in the past. You are not a bad person Eliot, something which your niece knows. You, the team, we're in a good place. A place that'll allow you to do the right thing by her. And if that doesn't work out, you've got the rest of the team to back you up."

"Nate, I'm a hitter and a thief."

"You were a hitter and a thief before as well and look how she's turned out; she's smart, compassionate, and independent. And don't forget, you're stealing for the right reasons, a fact that she's aware of. Eliot just be honest with her."

"She's gonna wanna join in you know?"

"That's your decision."

"What do you think?"

"She seems capable enough, especially from what I heard about Miami. But it's your decision Eliot, no one else's."

Originally, Eliot was completely adverse to the idea of Abby working with them, but the more they got reacquainted, the more she realised she would be perfect for it; she was charismatic, intelligent, was a decent enough fighter and knew enough about justice to be an excellent grifter but most importantly she cared passionately about helping people.

He knew it was a perfect job for her, a thought which partially frightened him. But Nate was right, it was his decision, at least until she was 18, if she was involved in jobs or not.

"Eliot, you are a fantastic parent; just keep doing what you're doing and she'll turn out fine."

"Thanks Nate," Eliot replied and the two, in silence, finished the game, not speaking another word about Abigail; exactly how they wanted it.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Abby was lying on the couch, feet up over the back reading when Eliot returned home that evening.

"How'd I go?"

"Passed with flyin' colours, as usual," he replied. "Whatcha reading?"

"Oscar Wilde," she replied. "Anything else?"

"Beer with Nate."

"How was that?"

"Good, darlin' can we talk?" He asked sitting down next to her.

"Never a good way to start a conversation El," she replied, and sat up properly on the couch to face him, placing her book on the coffee table and crossing her legs. "Shoot."

He cleared his throat.

"How do you feel about my job honey?" he queried and she was slightly taken aback by the question; she was expecting something to do with her school teacher.

"Truthfully?"

"Always."

"I love it. I love the fact that you help people so selflessly. I love the fact it's given you, us, a family again. I love the fact that you're doing something good again."

"Again?" he questioned, wondering how much exactly she thought he did.

"I'm not stupid El, you were in the army and you did good things. Then you worked for Moreau, you obviously have done some... things which weren't as good. But that's in the past right? And you can't change that. And it's not exactly like I expect you to get a normal job either. I mean, use the gifts God gave you right?"

"That's right darlin'," he said as he kissed her on the forehead. "And would you ever want to work with the team?"

"Can I?"

"I'm not asking that, I'm asking if you'd ever _want _to," he reiterated.

"If I'm being honest, yes. But in saying that, I wouldn't want to make a career of it. Just sorta, help out in the family business."

"Because I don't want that life for you ya know? I don't want you in this life and I don't want you to follow in my footsteps."

"What? In your job?" she clarified.

"In a lotta things," he replied as he laughed awkwardly. "The conning, beating… dating."

"Gargh!" she exclaimed then picked up the pillow sitting beside, placed it on her knees and buried her face into it. "I don't wanna hear this," she mumbled.

"Abby I have to…"

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no," she exclaimed quickly. "When I date, you can give me the talk."

"Kyle…"

"Kyle and I aren't dating; he's not going to ask me out so, move on please!"

"We gotta talk about it eventually, ya know," he reminded her.

"When I date," she said again. "And think about it. You don't want me date, I don't want you to give me the talk so, this way, I'm less inclined to date," she explained and Eliot sighed.

"Fine," he said sternly; he couldn't disagree with her logic.

"Good. Is that it?"

"No. Look Abby all I'm trying to say is I'm not the best person to raise a kid and I'm not the best and setting examples. All I'm saying is just because I'm your uncle doesn't mean you should do what I do…"

"Eliot I'm not my mother, I'm not my father and I'm not you," she interrupted. "You need to trust me to make my own decision. You need to trust me to be me."

Eliot sighed; he had no idea how he had gotten so lucky.

"Just make good choices okay darlin'," he summarised, tousling her hair as she stood up from the couch and began to walk towards her room.

"I will," she replied as Eliot remained sitting on the couch.

"And darlin'," he began and she paused her movement, leaning on the door frame and back at her uncle. "What career to do want?"

She paused for a moment and thought. "I'd like to run a charity," she finally declared then scampered away into her room.

Eliot sighed once more; at least he had done something right.

* * *

**So, not as drastic as you all thought... but still, opening up for our hitter is still a pretty drastic measure for him**

**Hope you guys like this, I wasn't too sure about it 'cause it felt similar to stuff I'd already written.  
Thanks for the follows and reviews =)**


	13. The School Job Part 1

Abby stared aimlessly at the fridge in Nate's apartment. Orange Soda, beer, and leftover Chinese food which smelled oddly of Hardison's van were all it contained. She closed the fridge, stood pointlessly for a moment, and then opened the fridge door again, this time with lowered expectations. Not surprisingly, there was nothing edible in the whole apartment.

She looked at the clock and sighed. Sophie and Nate were still in a client meeting, Parker was goodness knows where, Hardison was getting the van, to everyone's delight, cleaned and Eliot was out doing the food shopping, seeing as he trusted no one to get the right ingredients for him to cook with. She was beginning to regret not going with him; at least at the supermarket there would be food she could eat.

"This is a bad idea Nate," Sophie said as her and Nate walked through the door. "There's no way he's going to go for this."

"He's going to have to be isn't he?" Nate replied and then looked up at Abby in the kitchen who was still staring aimlessly at the fridge.

"You good there Abby?" he asked.

"I'm hungry, there's no food," she stated simply then walked into the living area and flopped down on the couch.

"Yes well, you can blame you and Parker for that for that one," Sophie stated as she sat down and pulled her shoes off.

"And who's not going for what?" Abby asked.

"Nothing," Sophie said, a little too quickly just as Eliot walked through the door carrying several bags of groceries.

"Thank goodness," Abby exclaimed. "I'm starving!" She ran into the kitchen and began helping her uncle put away the food, her ulterior motive, of course trying to find something to eat.

"How was the client meeting?" Eliot asked opening the fridge and throwing out the questionable container of Chinese.

"Ah, good," Nate replied vaguely as he poured himself a drink at his desk.

"Aha!" Abby exclaimed as she fetched out a container of dip and a bag of chips.

"Really?" Eliot asked. "Dinner's gonna be ready in like an hour."

"Yes," she said as she opened the bag. "I'm starving." She walked off and plonked herself down on the couch, turning on the TV to Phineas and Ferb.

"So who's the client," Eliot asked Nate and Sophie as he pulled on an apron and began to prepare the meal.

"School teacher," Nate replied. "Some rich, private school on the upper east side."

"All of their scholarship students have had their scholarships taken away from them for some ridiculous reason or another. The money's being pocketed by one of the teachers," Sophie continued, walking over to the kitchen and leaning on the bench.

Eliot paused from his current task of chopping onions and spun the knife, the tip resting on the chopping board and the hilt in his palm, as he stared threateningly at Nate.

"Eliot I..."

"Dammit Nate," Eliot hissed. "I know what you're planning and don't. Don't even think about it."

"Eliot the school doesn't have any scholarship students left. We need a scholarship student."

"What the hell are you thinking? She doesn't need this."

"Eliot, I know you love her more than anything and I also know that you know that this is inevitable. She's too smart and not to mention she wants to," Sophie pointed out.

"Sometimes kids don't know what they want," the hitter replied bitterly.

"That's not true for Abby," Nate paused waiting for a reaction from the hitter. "Look Eliot, it's a job in a school. All she has to do is go in and, well, go to school. Nothing dangerous, nothing illegal..."

"Except for the fake identity thing," Eliot pointed out.

"Eh, semantics," he dismissed. "You can get a job as a teacher and be there the whole time."

"Eliot these kids in the program, they come from really bad backgrounds," Sophie began, seeing that Eliot was still unconvinced. "I'm talking foster care, parents in prisons. Do you know what this education can do for them? What it's giving them an opportunity for?"

"Are you seriously trying to guilt me into this?" he asked Sophie angrily.

"Eliot," she replied softly. "What if that was Abby. No family, no money but she was given a chance to change that."

"And?" Eliot questioned, flicking the hair out of his face.

"And then imagine that was taken away," the grifter continued. "Wouldn't you want to give that opportunity back to her?"

Eliot placed down the knife which he had been toying with in his hand and then took a deep breath, and brushed the hair out of his face once more. Sometimes he hated it when Nate was right.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Abby tugged at her uniform.

"Couldn't we con a school that didn't have a uniform? It's really scratchy," she complained.

_ "At least you ain't wearin' a stupid tweed jacket,"_ Eliot said on the other side of the comms.

_"I don't know what you're complaining about,"_ Parker stated. _"At least you guys get to have some fun. I'm stuck here in this stupid van."_

_"Hey don't be dissin' on the van,"_ Hardison complained as he walked into the teacher's lounge at the school.

"You're all hopeless," Sophie said as she stepped out of the car and stared at the mammoth of a school in front of her. She looked at Abby, getting out of the other side of the car and gave her a small, reassuring nod. "You ready?"

"Yeah, I think so," the teenager replied and together they walked inside.

"Sorry about taking you out of school by the way," Sophie apologised. "We'll have you back there in no time."

"I don't mind," Abby shrugged as she admired the enormity of the school. Tall pillars loomed over them and the marble which decorated a large proportion of the building gave it the unmistakable statement of money; this was definitely a rich kid school. "I think I needed a break from there anyway."

"Oh?" Sophie enquired.

"I don't exactly fit in and Kyle well," she began venting then halted, realising she could be heard by everyone via comms. "Kyle's a scaredy-cat," she finished.

j**inxcat21…. I wish I could say this was because you asked for it and take the credit for being awesome at requests but really it was already in motion and next on the list to publish. ****I hope you like it, regardless.**

**quirkapotamus- thanks! I always though Eliot would make an excellent father... his skill's really be put to the test in about after this job concludes**


	14. The School Job Part 2

**I'm a horrible person!**

**I can't believe I made you wait this long for the next chapter! I'm just really trying to do this story (con) justice so I'm taking my time. On top of that I've just started university/college/whatever you want to call it so my time has been spread thin.**

**Unfortunately, the next update is a while away =( **

**I promise you it's coming! And to anyone reading my Psych/Leverage fic, same deal.**

* * *

Abby sat down awkwardly in the back of the classroom, staring nervously at the people around her. It wasn't the fact that she was on a job that was making her nervous; it was the fact that she was at a new school. She had always hated the first day of school; as a kid, she had moved around a lot as Eliot was moved from base to base and, after his army days, it was safer for them not to stay in one place. Not to mention the fact that Moreau liked to move them from city to city; show that he was still in control.

"Hey," a voice came from next to her.

"Hey," she replied as their home room teacher walked in.

"Morning class," she greeted happily. Abby didn't know it, but she was the client. "We have a new student with us today Miss," she paused to read the name off a slip of paper. "Emily Briggs."

Abby nodded her head as a brief hello before the class began.

"You're new here?" the boy next to her whispered as the teacher was talking.

"That's what the teacher just said," Abby whispered back, strengthening the American part of her accent as she pretended to take notes; she had already taken this class at her own school.

"Where you from?" he persisted.

"New Orleans," she said, sticking to her back story.

"I'm Alan," he said grinning. "Listen, we're having a party tonight. You interested?"

"No," she replied bluntly.

"Why not?" he said with puppy dog eyes.

"Because," she said, turning to face him for the first time, sizing him up; he clearly came from money and he clearly didn't care about anyone or anything but himself. "I'm not interested in helping you steal your dad's Merlot and 100 year old whiskey."

Alan chuckled.

"Actually, my father prefers Shiraz. But suit yourself."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxx

"Two new teachers in one day? How about that," one of the school's History teachers began.

"There's another new teacher?" Hardison enquired, staying fully in character.

"Yeah, Jack Harrison the English teacher," the man said, gesturing over to Eliot, pouring himself a cup of coffee on the other side of the room.

"Perhaps I'll go introduce myself," Hardison said and walked over to Eliot.

_ "Everything good guys?"_ Nate asked over the comms.

"Yeah," Eliot replied, taking a sip of his coffee. "This Mouser guy's pretty boring."

"Keeps to himself mostly," Hardison added as he looked over to their mark; a larger, balding man wearing thick glasses which looked like they'd stepped directly out of the eighties, and a cumbersome, unsightly yellow tinged suit; it was no wonder why he kept to himself.

**Several Days Earlier**

_ "This is our mark?" Sophie asked in the apartment as they planned the job. She was staring at the image of Kirk Mouser up on the screen. "Because it doesn't look like it."_

"_Looks can be deceiving," Abby stated, sitting on the couch next to her uncle._

"_Sometimes yes," the grifter agreed. "But look; coffee stain on his tie, ill-fitting suit, old, scratched glasses. The man looks like he has the self-esteem of an anorexic teenager."_

"_The money was transferred to his account," Hardison stated, defending his research. _

"_I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm just wondering what makes him tick," Sophie explained as she leaned forward on the bench, eyeing down the mark even more carefully. "I bet he stole that money so he can prove to himself that he's got balls."_

"_Can we move on with the briefing please?" Nate pushed; Sophie had been doing this a lot lately, taking her directors'/actress' lenses to their marks an increasing amount the past few weeks. She hadn't been in a play for the same amount of time and, apparently, she was suffering withdrawals and a minor (and irritating) case of transference. _

_ Sophie shrugged. "Go on," she gestured, though her mind was still churning through all of the possibilities of what made their mark tick._

"_So Mouser, this guy is clean," the hacker continued. "He's got no criminal record; the only thing the cops have on him is an old parking ticket from 'ninety- two."_

"_Doesn't seem like much of a criminal." Abby stated._

"_People like this, they're opportunistic criminals," Sophie began as she stood up straight. "They're stealing the money because the opportunity to do so was presented to them. So, to play him, we give them an even better opportunity, high yield, low risk sort of thing and…"_

"_Get him to slip." Abby concluded._

"_Stop teaching her how to be a criminal Sophie," Eliot scalded from the other side of the room._

"_It's character building," Sophie yelled before she turned back to the teenager._

* * *

"You gonna go talk to him?" Hardison asked, lightly nudging Eliot with his elbow.

"Ain't my job to," he replied, smugly taking another sip of his drink. The hacker gave Eliot an unappreciative stare before mumbling something and walking over to the mark.

"David Connell," Hardison introduced, his hands folded comfortably behind his back.

"Uh, Kirk Mouser," the mark replied, somewhat surprised. "I'm in charge of the money here."

* * *

_ You're sure that it's him?" Sophie asked once more._

"_Yes, Sophie, yes I'm sure," Hardison replied, crossing his arms defiantly. _

"_But…."_

"_Look, the money went through his account not to mention he's the only one who has access to all of the accounts where the money was taken," the hacker explained._

"_The backstory just doesn't fit," Sophie complained._

"'_Ts not a play Sophie," Eliot growled in frustration._

"_Can we just get back to the briefing," Nate complained once more and all heads turned to Hardison to finish his presentation._

* * *

"Very cool, very cool," Hardison replied.

"And what do you do?" the mark asked the hacker as he reached for a doughnut.

"I'm the new chemistry teacher," Hardison informed proudly.

"What happened to the old one?" Mouser enquired and Hardison considered for a moment telling the man how they possibly pulled a Breaking Bad and planted a small amount of drugs in his car and how they possibly called the police and informed them of such. Then he remembered that this guy was their mark and shook the thought from his mind.

* * *

_ "Isn't that a bit, uh, immoral?" Abby questioned. "I mean, the guy hasn't done anything wrong?" she continued, referring to the Chem teacher. _

"_You'd think that wouldn't you?" Hardison asked sarcastically. "I went through his computer files, browser history, spending habits…."_

"_Cut the geek Hardison," Eliot threatened. _

"_Anyway, guy should not be working in a school," Hardison continued, ignoring the hitter's veil (he hoped) threats. "He's a grade A perv. I found photos of young…"_

"_Yeah, okay, I'm totally okay with the planting of drugs on this guy," Abby agreed_

* * *

"Anyway," Hardison said, shaking the man's hand once more. Only, this time, with his other hand holding his phone, he placed it next to the man's pocket, allowing the high tech device to clone the man's phone. "I should be getting to class."

"Of course, doesn't pay to be late on your first day," Mouser replied, a forced chuckle protruding from his lips. Hardison nodded, flipping his phone in his hand as he walked away while the man buried his face into a donut.

Once he was out of sight, and standing back next Eliot, he looked through the phone.

"Nothin' outta the ordinary Nate," Eliot informed.

"Yeah," Hardison confirmed. "Looks like he's working alone. The only contacts he got is his mamma, brother and his hairdresser."

"_Good," _Nate replied as he adjusted his hat rear-view mirror. _"Makes my job a lot easier."_

* * *

**Again, thank you for your patience and wonderful awesome reviews and such!**

**For anyone who doesn't know, I'm a sucker for a good review *hint hint***

**Ta**


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